Selling (Happy New Year!)

Behind the counter.

The old appraiser, who had been wearing an expression that screamed "hurry up and get lost, don't keep me from slacking off," underwent a transformation as dramatic as a Sichuan opera mask change the moment he saw what was on the counter.

Whoosh.

He straightened his old back with such sudden force that he nearly threw it out.

He reached out and pinched the front claw of the Shadow Cat.

The claw was about twenty centimeters long, gray-black throughout, with an edge as thin as a cicada's wing.

Even under the soft, warm indoor lighting, the thing reflected a cold glint that made one's eyes ache just by looking at it.

"A Shadow Cat? And an adult one at that?"

The old appraiser's voice shot up an octave, as if someone had stepped on his tail.

He hurriedly adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, grabbed a magnifying glass, and leaned in toward the break at the base of the claw.

At this look, his breathing hitched.

"Hiss... this cut..."

In the field of view of the magnifying glass, the break was as smooth as a mirror, without a single jagged tear mark.

Even the hardest part of the bone marrow had been sliced cleanly, forming a perfect cross-section.

What did this mean?

It meant that this Shadow Cat, known for its speed and reflexes, had been killed in an instant!

Furthermore, the opponent definitely hadn't used an ordinary combat blade.

Only a heavy weapon with both terrifying weight and extreme sharpness, combined with an unreasonable amount of explosive power, could create such a "hot knife through butter" effect.

"Killed in one strike? Clean and efficient, slicing through skin and bone alike?"

The old appraiser looked up abruptly, the cloudiness in his eyes vanishing instantly.

He took a deep look at the teenager in the school uniform before him, swallowed hard, and asked tentatively:

"Young man, this... was this the handiwork of an elder in your family? This blade technique is seasoned!"

Lin Fan didn't even lift his eyelids, his expression remaining as calm as ever.

"An elder? There are no elders."

As he spoke, he reached into the inner pocket of his backpack and, as if pulling out candy, grabbed a large handful of blood-stained fangs and tossed them onto the counter.

"There's also this: sixteen pairs of Iron-Bristled Wild Boar fangs, plus sixteen fresh hearts."

"They're all here. Count them."

The old appraiser looked at the table full of materials, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.

Good heavens!

Shadow Cat and Iron-Bristled Wild Boar?

One was a speed-type assassin, the other a defense-type tank.

These two species were notorious hard nuts to crack among Beast Soldier Level monsters; many junior warrior squads would get a headache just encountering them, often ending up wounded.

And looking at the freshness of these materials—the blood hadn't even dried, and the stench was still pungent—it was clear they had been killed recently, definitely within the last 24 hours!

One person, in a single day, wiped out a wild boar den and slaughtered a few cats on the side?

What kind of efficiency was this?

Was he stocking up on inventory?!

"Um... young man, ahem, sir."

The old appraiser took a deep breath, his tone instantly upgrading from "young man" to "sir," even carrying a hint of caution.

"We need to verify your identity."

"After all, these materials are quite valuable and involve a large number of high-risk Beast Soldier Level monsters. According to Alliance regulations, large transactions must be verified by real name."

"Fine."

Lin Fan didn't waste words, reaching into his pocket to pull out his ID card and handing it over.

The old appraiser took it with both hands and swiped it through the precision card reader nearby.

Beep.

Lin Fan's personal profile popped up on the screen. The teenager in the photo had a cold gaze, even carrying a hint of world-weary indifference.

But the old appraiser wasn't focused on the photo; he was focused on the lines of text:

[Name: Lin Fan]

[Gender: Male]

[Status: Quasi-Martial Artist (Passed the Limit Martial Arts Hall assessment, file currently being processed)]

[Certification Date: 2056...]

Which meant, today.

"A... a Quasi-Martial Artist?!"

"And you just passed the assessment today?"

The old appraiser looked at Lin Fan on the screen, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

What did this mean?

It meant that this student, who looked harmless and even a bit impoverished, had dared to venture alone into the Wilderness Zone to kill monsters before he had even obtained this status!

And he had brought back a whole backpack full of them!

What kind of student was this? This was clearly a ruthless powerhouse disguised in a school uniform!

A genius of this caliber in actual combat—as long as he didn't die young, he would at least be a War General Level in the future, or even...

Clack.

The old appraiser quickly pulled out the card, held it with both hands, and respectfully returned it to Lin Fan.

At this very moment, the casual attitude he'd had earlier had flown to the ends of the earth, replaced by genuine awe and even a bit of lingering fear.

Thank goodness he hadn't said anything unpleasant earlier; if he had offended such a future big shot, would he still have a job?

In this world, age was empty, and academic qualifications were fake.

Only strength was the absolute truth.

"Mr. Lin, please forgive my ignorance!"

The old appraiser stood up, bowed slightly, and performed a standard martial artist salute, his attitude incredibly humble.

"I was blind earlier and didn't recognize the true master. Your goods are of excellent quality, and the processing technique is professional beyond words!"

"Rest assured, I will personally grade them for you and use the VIP fast track! I guarantee you the highest acquisition price; if you're short a single cent, you can hold me accountable!"

"Sorry for the trouble."

Lin Fan took back his ID, tucked it into his pocket, and kept that same faint, deadpan expression, as if everything that had just happened was within his expectations.

But this unflappable demeanor, in the eyes of the old appraiser, raised his estimation even higher.

Look at that!

That was the poise of a genius!

If it were an ordinary person, their tail would have been wagging in the sky by now.

The old appraiser stopped wasting time and began to quickly count the materials.

His movements were more than twice as nimble as before, his fingers flying over the calculator, terrified of keeping this gentleman waiting.

"Three sets of Shadow Cat materials, claws intact, fur has some damage but key areas are fine, skeletal integrity is very high. I'll acquire these at a 10% premium, totaling 200,000."

"Sixteen pairs of Iron-Bristled Wild Boar fangs, sixteen hearts... tsk tsk, this quantity is truly frightening. It seems you've committed a massacre on the wild boars."

The old appraiser couldn't help but butter him up while recording.

"Although the unit price for wild boar materials isn't high, the volume makes up for it, and these fangs are nearly approaching War General Level quality. That'll be 900,000."

"A total of 1.1 million."

The old appraiser looked up and announced the final price, his gaze as sincere as if he were looking at his own grandson.

"Mr. Lin, this price is already at the limit of my authority; it is definitely a cut above the average market price."

Lin Fan nodded, feeling a slight stir in his heart.

1.1 million.

In the past, he wouldn't have even dared to dream of this.

For an ordinary working-class family, this might be a lifetime of savings, a number that would take decades of endless brick-hauling to see.

And now... it was just from one trip to the edge of the Wilderness Zone.

Was this the speed at which martial artists made money?

It was truly a bit absurd.

"Transfer the money to this card." Lin Fan handed over his bank card.

"Understood, it will arrive immediately. Please wait a moment."

The old appraiser tapped away at his keyboard.

A few seconds later.

Buzz.

The phone in his pocket vibrated.

Lin Fan took out the phone with the cracked screen corner and opened the text message.

[Your account ending in 8806 has received 1,100,000.00 yuan.]

[Current balance: 21,101,400.00 yuan.]

Looking at that long string of zeros, Lin Fan let out a soft breath.

The heavy stone named "poverty" that had been pressing on his heart had finally shattered completely.

A millionaire.

And a legal one at that.

"Done."

Lin Fan put away his phone, his confidence instantly surging.

The transaction was complete, but he didn't leave immediately; instead, he looked at the old man behind the counter.

"Which floor is the weapon sales area on?"

Hearing this, the old appraiser immediately pointed toward the ceiling, his face blooming like a chrysanthemum.

"The 42nd floor!"

"That is the largest weapon showroom in the entire Jiangnan Base City. Forget about weapons; as long as you have the money, you can even buy War God Level equipment there."

"However, things there aren't cheap. Any decent combat blade will cost over a million..."

Speaking of this, the old appraiser seemed to remember something and hurriedly rummaged through his drawer to pull out a card printed with gold-stamped patterns, handing it over with both hands.

"Um... Mr. Lin, if you don't mind, this is my business card."

"There is a referral code on the back. You can take this with you to enjoy a 2% discount."

"Although it's not a huge discount, it's a small token of my sincerity. I hope we can be friends."

Lin Fan glanced at the grinning old man.

This old fox knew how to play the game.

But in this circle, having one more friend was always better than having one more stranger.

Even a mosquito's leg was meat; a 2% discount was still money.

"Thanks."

Lin Fan took the card, shoved it into his pocket, and turned toward the elevator.